For Girão, it is certain that the manipulation of results has been going on for a long time. The senator argues that this type of situation "must be combated vehemently by the CBF, the main organisation responsible for managing sporting competitions in this sport".  According to Girão, there is no doubt that the CBF's Director of Governance and Compliance "is of fundamental importance at this time of seeking fairness in our football". Girão says that he believes that Hélio Menezes Júnior's testimony will help elucidate various aspects of the CPI's investigation.

Girão is also the author of the request to invite the CBF's Director of Competitions, Júlio Avellar, to speak to the CPI. According to the request (REQ 48/2024), in 2022 there were 139 football matches under suspicion of manipulation. Last year, there were 109 matches. The suspicions affect all series of the Brazilian championship (A, B, C and D).  Girão says that, as the guest is responsible for the directorate that aims to plan, operate and organise all the competitions run by the entity, he has a lot to contribute to the committee's work.

The CPI will also hear the CBF's Integrity Officer, Eduardo Gussem. The commission's rapporteur, Senator Romário (PL-RJ), is the author of the request for Gussem to be heard as a witness (REQ 41/2024). According to Romário, the CBF has a contract with the monitoring company SportRadar AG and regularly receives reports on suspicious matches. The senator argues that Eduardo Gussem is the right person to provide information on how the reports received by the CBF are handled, as well as on the officials involved in analysing this data and what types of alerts there are about possible manipulations in football matches. 

THE CPI

The CPI on the Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting was created by a request from Senator Romário (RQS 158/2024). The commission, chaired by Senator Jorge Kajuru (PSB-GO), is made up of 11 full senators and 7 alternates, and is expected to last 180 days.

The purpose of the parliamentary commission of enquiry is to investigate facts related to allegations and suspicions of match-fixing in Brazilian football, involving players, managers and betting companies.

Source: Agência Senado